Eileen A Novel. Winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction 2016

This was not fun to read. The first third of the book is Eileen drowning in self-pity from the first-person perspective. She is a vile, immature and egoistic person and you spend way too much time in her head. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading about morally gray characters, especially when it is backed up by their actions, but Eileen does not do anything except feel sorry for herself. I was this close to aborting this book, but then she met Rebecca. I have to admit, the story got way better once the plot took off. It was enjoyable to see how Eileen broke out of her boundaries and how obsessed she became with this woman. But then the ending was very lackluster and the plot resolved before it even began. I had expected the tone to shift to a thriller and for Eileen to be dragged deeper and deeper into a web of lies and crime, reevaluating herself and her relationship to Rebecca but that never happened. The ending felt rushed, almost like the author herself was tired of her main character and finally wanted her gone. I had high hopes for this book and was bitterly disappointed. Would not recommend.